The Fall of the Spirits of Darkness
GA 177
6 October 1917, Dornach
4. The Elemental Spirits of Birth and Death
As I said in my earlier lectures, the time has come for humanity to know certain truths concerning the spiritual background to the physical world. If people are not going to be prepared to accept these truths out of their own good will, they will be forced to learn them from the terrible events that will happen as time goes on.
The question may arise as to why now is the time for humanity to learn these truths, some of which are liable to shock people. They have of course existed for a long time, but humanity in general was protected and did not have to accept them. Many of these truths were carefully guarded in the ancient Mysteries, as you know, so that people in the surrounding areas were not exposed to the disturbing effect of these truths. Now, we have often said that it is fear of the great truths that prevents people from accepting them. Those who have this fear today—and there are indeed many of them—could of course say: Why cannot humanity go on in a kind of sleep state where these truths are concerned? As it is, people have grown tense and fearful in recent times, and why should they be exposed to those great and fearsome truths?
Let us go into this question, first of all considering why from now on humanity has to be treated differently, as it were, by the world of the spirit than has been the case so far in this post-Atlantean age.
In my earlier lectures I spoke of the non-physical world which borders directly on our physical world. This is the world humanity will need to know about in the time which lies just ahead. You know, as soon as you enter into a non-physical world, everything is different from the way it is here. You get to know certain entities, and above all things of a special nature which are hidden from the sight of weak humanity—‘sight’ here includes anything conveyed in insights and ideas.
Why has the human eye been deflected from this other world in the post-Atlantean age, right up to the present moment? It is because there are entities in this next-door world—other, higher worlds lie beyond it—which could only be made known to human beings under certain conditions. They have a specific function in the whole universe and especially also in human evolution. There are many different kinds of these entities in the other region.
Today I want to talk to you about one class of such entities, the class whose function in the great scheme of things is connected with human birth and death. You should never believe that human birth and death are actually as they present themselves to the senses. Spiritual entities are involved when a human being enters this physical world from the non-physical, and then leaves it again for the non-physical world. To give them a name, let us call them the 'elemental spirits of birth and death' for the moment. It is true that the individuals who until now were initiated in the Mysteries considered it to be their strict duty not to speak to people in general of these elemental spirits of birth and death. If one were to speak of them, and of the whole way in which these elemental spirits live, one would be speaking of something that would seem like red-hot coals to people, for this is how humanity has developed in the post-Atlantean age. We might also use another analogy. If people get to know more about the essential nature of these elemental spirits of birth and death and do so in full consciousness, they come to know powers which are inimical to life in the physical world.
Anyone with more or less normal feelings, even today, will be shaken to learn the truth that in order to bring about birth and death in the physical world, the divine spirits who guide world destinies have to use elemental spirits who actually are the enemies of everything human beings seek and desire for their welfare and well-being here in the physical world. If everything was done just to suit the wishes of human beings—to be comfortable in this physical world, be fit and well as we go to sleep and wake up again and go about our work—if all spirits were of a kind to see to it that we have such a comfortable life, birth and death could not be. To bring about birth and death the gods need entities whose minds and whole way of looking at the world give them the urge to destroy and lay waste to everything which provides for the welfare of human beings here in the physical world.
We have to get used to the idea that the world is not made as people would really like it to be and that there exists the element which in the Egyptian Mysteries was known as ‘iron necessity’. As part of this iron necessity, entities hostile to the physical world are used by the gods to bring about birth and death for human beings.
So we are looking at a world that is immediately next to our own, a world that day by day, hour by hour, has to do with our own world, for the processes of birth and death happen every day and every hour here on earth. The moment human beings cross the threshold to the other world they enter into a sphere where entities live and are active whose whole conduct, views and desires are destructive for ordinary physical human life. If this had been made known to people outside the Mysteries before now, if people had been given an idea of these entities, the following would inevitably have happened. If people who are quite unable to deal with their instincts and drives, with their passions, had known that destructive entities were present around them all the time, they would have used the powers of those destructive entities. They would not have used them the way the gods do in birth and death, however, but within the realm of physical life. If people had felt the desire to be destructive in some sphere or other, they would have had ample opportunity to make these entities serve them, for it is easy to make them serve us. This truth was kept hidden to protect ordinary life from the destructive elemental spirits of birth and death.
The question is, should we not continue to keep them hidden? This is not possible, and for quite specific reasons, one of which is connected with a great, important cosmic law. I could give you a general formula, but it will be better to use the actual form it is taking now and in the immediate future to demonstrate this law to you. As you know, not long ago growing numbers of impulses came into human evolution which did not exist before and which are quite characteristic of our present civilization. Try and go back in your mind to times not very long ago. You will find times when there were no steam locomotives, when people did not yet use electricity as we do now; times perhaps when only thinkers like Leonardo da Vinci1Leonardo da Vinci, 1452–1519. were able to have the idea, theoretically and on the basis of experiments, that humans could create apparatus which would enable them to fly. All this has come to realization in a relatively short time. Just consider how much depends on the use of steam, of electricity, of the changes in atmospheric density which has made airships possible, or the knowledge of statics which has led to the aeroplane. Consider everything which has come into human evolution in recent times. Think of the destructive powers of dynamite, etc., and you can easily imagine, seeing how swiftly this has gone, that new and different fabulous things of this kind will be the goal of future human endeavour. I think you can easily see that the ideal for the near future will be to have not more and more Goethes, but more and more Edisons. This really is the ideal of modern humanity.
Modern people do, of course, believe that all this—the telegraph, telephones, the use of steam Power, etc.—happens without the participation of spiritual entities. This is not the case, however. The development of human civilization involves the participation of elemental spirits, even if people do not know about it. Modern materialists imagine that the telephone and telegraph, and the steam engines driven long distances and also used by farmers, have been constructed merely on the basis of what people produce by the sweat of their brow. Everything people do in this respect is under the influence of elemental spirits. They are always involved and helping us in this. People are not taking the initiative on their own in this field—they are guided. In laboratories, workshops, really everywhere where the spirit of invention is active, elemental spirits are providing the inspiration.
The elemental spirits who have given impulses to our civilization from the eighteenth century onwards are of the same kind as those used by the gods to bring about birth and death. This is one of the mysteries which human beings have to discover today. And the law of world history of which I have spoken is that as evolution proceeds, the gods always rule for a time within a particular sphere of elemental spirits and then human beings enter into this same sphere and use the elemental spirits. In earlier times, the elemental spirits of birth and death essentially served the divine spirits who guided the world; since our day—and this has been going on for some time now—the elemental spirits of birth and death are serving technology, industry and human commerce. It is important to let this disturbing truth enter into our souls with all its power and intensity.
Something is happening in this fifth post-Atlantean period of civilization which is similar to something that happened in Atlantean times, during the fourth Atlantean period. I have spoken of this before. Up to the fourth Atlantean period the divine spirits who guide human evolution used certain elemental spirits. They had to use them because not only birth and death had to be brought about at that time, but also something else, which may be said to be closer to the earth. You will remember some of the descriptions I have given of the Atlantean age, when human beings were still flexible in their physical nature and their souls could make their bodies grow large or remain dwarf-like, with their outer appearance depending on their inner nature. Please call this to mind again.2Examples are the chapter on the evolution of the world and the human being in Occult Science. An Outline (trans. by G. and M. Adams; Rudolf Steiner Press, London 1969) and the chapter on our Atlantean forebears in Cosmic Memory (translated by K. E. Zimmer; Steinerbooks, New York 1976). Today the service certain elemental spirits give to the divine spirits on occasions of birth and death is clearly apparent in physical terms. In those times, when outer appearance was in accord with inner nature, certain elemental spirits were serving the gods for the whole of human life. When the Atlantean age had reached its fourth period, people again began to rule the elemental spirits, which had previously been used by the gods, to govern the growth and general physiognomy of human beings. Human beings gained control of certain divine powers and made use of them.
The consequence was that from about the middle of the Atlantean age it was possible for individuals who desired to harm their fellow human beings to use all kinds of creative powers on them—keeping them dwarf-sized in growth or making them into giants, or letting the physical organism develop in such a way that the individual concerned would be an intelligent person or a cretin. A terrible power was in human hands in the middle of the Atlantean age. You know, for I have drawn attention to this, that this was not kept secret, though not from any kind of evil intent. According to one of the laws of world history, something which initially was the work of the gods had to become the work of human beings. This led to serious mischief in the Atlantean age, so that over the last four or three periods of civilization the whole of Atlantean civilization had to be guided towards its own destruction. Our own civilization was saved and brought across from Atlantis, as I have described elsewhere, and you will recall my descriptions of what happened in the Atlantean age.
In the last three, or two, periods of post-Atlantean civilization in the fifth stage of earth evolution, work now done by the gods will again become work to be done by humanity. We are only in the early stages of the technological, industrial and commercial activities which proceed under the influence of the elemental spirits of birth and death. This influence and its effects will be increasingly more radical. Until now, the elemental spirits of birth and death have been guided by the gods and their influence has been limited to the coming into being and passing away of humans at the physical level. But the civilization of our own and future ages has to be such that these spirits can be active in technology, industry, commerce, and so on.
There is also another, quite specific, aspect to this. As I have said, these elemental spirits are the enemies of human welfare and want to destroy it. We have to see things straight and not have any illusions concerning the radical nature of this. Civilization must progress in the fields of technology, industry and commerce. But by its very nature such a civilization cannot serve the well-being of humanity in the physical world; it can only prove destructive to the human weal.
This will be an unpalatable truth for people who never tire of making great speeches on the tremendous advances made in modern civilization, for they see things in abstract terms and know nothing of the rise and fall which is part of human evolution. I have made brief reference to the causes of destruction in Atlantis. The commercial, industrial and technological civilization which is now in its beginnings harbours elements which will lead to the decline and fall of the fifth earth period. And we only see things straight and face reality if we admit that we are here beginning to work on something which must lead to catastrophe.
This is what it means to enter into iron necessity. Looking for an easy way out people might say: Alright, I won't take the tram. It might even go so far—though even members of the Anthroposophical Society are unlikely to take things this far—that people will not go on trains, and so on. This would be complete nonsense, of course. It is not a matter of avoiding things but of getting a clear picture, real insight into the iron necessities of human evolution. Civilization cannot continue in an unbroken upward trend; it has to go through a succession of rising and falling waves.
There is, however, something else which can happen, something people generally do not want to know about today but which is exactly what modern humanity will have to discover. Insight—a clear picture of the necessity which exists—is what will have to come to all human minds. It will necessarily mean that much will have to change in the frame of mind in which we consider the world. Human beings will need to live with inner impulses which they still prefer to ignore today, for these go against the good life they want. There are many such impulses. Let me give you just one example.
People today, especially if they want to be good people, wanting nothing for themselves but only to be selfless and desire the good of others, will of course seek to develop certain virtues. These, too, are iron necessities. Now, of course, there is nothing to be said against a desire for virtue, but the problem is that people are not merely desiring to be virtuous. It is quite a good thing to want to be virtuous, but these people want more. If one looks to the unconscious depths of the human soul one finds that in the present time people are not really much concerned to develop the actual virtues. It is much more important to them to be able to feel themselves to be virtuous, to give themselves up entirely to a state of mind where they can say: ‘I am truly selfless, look at all the things I do to improve myself! I am perfect, I am kind, I am someone who does not believe in authority.’ They will then, of course, eagerly follow all kinds of authorities. To feel really good in the consciousness of having one particular virtue or another is endlessly more important to people today than actually having that virtue. They want to feel they have the virtue rather than practise it.
As a result, certain secrets connected with the virtues remain hidden to them. They are secrets which people instinctively feel they do not want to know, especially if they are modern idealists who like to feel good in the way I have described. All kinds of ideals are represented by societies today. Programmes are made, and a society states its principles, which are to achieve one thing or another. The things people want to achieve in this way may indeed be very nice, but to find something nice in an abstract way is not enough. People must learn to think in terms of reality. Let us look at the aspect of reality when it comes to people having virtues. Perfection, benevolence, beautiful virtues, rights—it is nice to have them all in the outer social sphere. However, when people say: ‘It is our programme to achieve perfection in some particular way, benevolence in some particular direction, we aim to establish a specific right', they usually consider this to be something absolute which can be brought to realization as such. ‘Surely’, people will say, ‘it must be a good thing to be more and more perfect?’ And ‘What better ideal can there be but to have a programme that will make us more and more perfect?’ But this is not in accord with the law of reality. It is right, and good, to be more and more perfect, or at least aim to be so, but when people are actually seeking to be perfect in a particular direction, this search for perfection will after a time change into what in reality is imperfection. A change occurs through which the desire for perfection becomes a weakness. Benevolence will after a time become prejudicial behaviour. And however good the right may be that you want to bring to realization—it will turn into a wrong in the course of time. The reality is that there are no absolutes in this world. You work towards something that is good, and the way of the world will turn it into something bad. We therefore must seek ever new ways, look for new forms over and over again. This is what really matters.
The swing of the pendulum governs all such human efforts. Nothing is more harmful than belief in absolute ideals, for they are at odds with the true course of world evolution.
A good way of demonstrating things—not to prove, but merely to illustrate—is to use certain ideas. And to some extent, ideas from the physical sciences can be used as symbols to illustrate non-physical ideas. Imagine we have a pendulum suspended here (drawing on the board). Now you see, if you take the pendulum to this point, to one extreme, and then let go, it will go to this point to find its equilibrium. It follows this path. Why does it do so? Because it is subject to gravity, people say. It goes down, but once it has reached the lowest point does not stop there. The downward movement has given it a certain inertia, which it uses to move to the other side. It then goes down again. It means that when the pendulum travels this distance, the downward movement gives it sufficient energy to swing to the other side. This provides an analogy that may be used to give a strong visual image of one thing or another. Thus we may say: A virtue—perfection, benevolence—goes in this direction, but then goes in the opposite direction. Perfection becomes weakness, benevolence uncritical adoration, and right turns into wrong in the course of evolution.
People prefer not to consider such ideas today. Just imagine trying to explain to a solid middle-class citizen who is establishing a society which is to serve certain ideals: You are now setting up an ideal, but in making it part of the process of evolution you will create the opposite effect, and you will do so in a relatively short time. Well, he would think you are not only no idealist, but a real devil. Why should the effort to be perfect not go towards increasing perfection, and why should right not continue to be right for ever and ever? It is extremely difficult for people today to have ideas based on reality instead of ideas that are one-sided abstractions. Yet they will have to learn to have such ideas, for they will not progress without them. They will also have to become used to the idea that progress in civilization will gradually make it necessary for us to use the elemental spirits of birth and death. And in doing so, humanity will have to live with the fact that a destructive element becomes part of human evolution.
Every now and then, people who refuse to familiarize themselves with anthroposophy—which is the only means of finding the right attitude to such things—find the right ideas by themselves, from instinct. What is the significance of all this? The elemental spirits of birth and death are, of course, messengers of Ahriman. The iron necessity of world evolution forces the gods to use Ahriman's messengers to control birth and death. When they ask the elemental spirits to act on their behalf they do not allow the powers of these messengers to enter the physical world. But as civilization goes into its decline, from the fifth post-Atlantean period onwards, this element has to come in again, so that catastrophe may be brought about. Human beings must use these powers themselves. Ahriman's messengers are therefore an iron necessity; they have to bring about the destruction that will lead to the next step forward in civilization. This is a terrible truth, but it is so. And nothing will avail where this truth is concerned but to get to know it and to see it clearly. We shall be discussing this further and you will see how many things there are which call for the right attitude to these truths.
Instinct, I have said, makes some people realize that something is necessary. One such individual is Ricarda Huch,3Ricarda Huch (1864–1947), German writer: Luthers Glaube, Briefe an einen Freund (Luther's faith, letters to a friend), Leipzig: Insel-Verlag 1916. A new edition of the work appeared in 1964. who has written a number of excellent books at the present time—though none that somehow comes even close to anthroposophy. Her latest work, on Luther's faith, is remarkable—not so much because of insight, but because of the instinct to be found in this book. If you read the first three chapters of the book you find there a strange cry—I think we may call it such—a cry for humanity to find again what has really been lost since Luther came on the scene. Before his day atavistic clairvoyance still existed. Ricarda Huch says that what humanity needs most of all today is to get to know the devil. She does not consider it so necessary for people to come to know God; it is much more important, she says, to get to know the devil.
Ricarda Huch does not know, of course, why this is necessary, but she has an instinctive feeling that it is so. Hence her remarkable cry for knowledge of the devil in the first chapters of the book. This is highly symptomatic and significant for our time. Her thinking is: People will come to know God again once they know that the devil is all around them. Individuals like this, who still do not want to take up anthroposophy, will always look for a way to apologize for their statements. Ricarda Huch does feel that people must get to know the devil as someone who is very real; but she immediately says, as a kind of apology, that one should not, of course, imagine the devil to be walking around in the street with horns and a tail. Oh, but he does walk around! ‘They never know the devil is about, Not even when he has them by the collar.’4Quote from Goethe's Faust, Part 1, scene in Auerbach's Tavern. Trans. by Philip Wayne; Penguin. Modern abstract thinking immediately needs an apology, even if someone knows instinctively what is most urgently needed. But there is a good and real instinct for the present time behind this cry for the devil. People should not simply grow blindly, as if asleep, into what iron necessity demands of them in the immediate future, which is to use the messengers of the devil in our work in laboratories, workshops, banks and everywhere else. They have to use them so that civilization may progress; but they must know the devil, they must know that the keys which are used, say, to unlock the vaults have the devil's power in them. Ricarda Huch knows this instinctively, and people need to know it, for only knowledge will take us into the future in the right way. It is of immense importance that there are people who, out of instinct, point to the need which exists to know the devil and not walk past him fast asleep, for he is getting more and more powerful.
Perhaps there is something else that is characteristic—I mention it only in passing: In Paradise, too, it was a woman who instinctively allowed the functions of the devil to enter into Paradise. I think it is not much to the credit of men in our civilization that they are still calling this kind of thing superstition and refuse to have anything to do with it, once again leaving it to a woman. It may indeed be characteristic that a woman, Ricarda Huch, is calling for the devil, just as once in Paradise it was Eve who let in the devil. This merely as a passing comment.
It is the devil who will and must be the bearer of our future civilization. This is a harsh truth, but it is important. It is intimately bound up with the fact that destructive powers will have to enter into the future progress of civilization. Above all—and I will speak of this tomorrow—destructive powers will have to enter into the whole field of education, and especially the education of children, unless the matter is taken in hand with wisdom. Because of the general trend of civilization, and the customary practices and emotions of people, destructive powers will also enter more and more into the whole social sphere. They will above all bring more and more destruction into the actual relationships between people.
Humanity should seek to bring Christ's words to realization: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’5Matthew 18:20. Technological and commercial progress will not bring this to realization, but rather: Where two or more want to fight and assault each other in my name, there am I in the midst of them. This will happen more and more in the social life and because of this there is a general difficulty today in presenting truths which will bring people together.
Let us conclude by being clear in our minds, at least for the moment—we shall continue with the subject tomorrow and the day after—about the frame of mind in which people generally receive truths. People do not like to be told truths today because they simply do not believe truth to be something which comes to human beings directly from the world of the Spirit. Modern people believe truth must always be something grown in their own garden. People in their twenties have their own point of view, they do not need to be convinced of a truth, they do not need to have the truth revealed to them, they have their own point of view. And someone who has eagerly fought for the truth, a young fellow of twenty-four, just finished at university where he may have attended lectures on philosophy—he has his point of view and enters into discussion with another who has just as eagerly fought for his own truth. Each of them believes that the absolute certain truth grows in his own garden, even if the soil has not been prepared. People are not inclined to receive truths; they announce themselves the possessors of truth. This is the characteristic element in the present time.
Ricarda Huch has put it rather nicely. She points out that in the period of Enlightenment in Europe, our present state of mind, or call it what you will, which is absolutely awash with chauvinism, was preceded by Nietzscheanism, which was far more sublime than anything connected with native pride and chauvinism. Many, many people became followers of Nietzsche and it was he who set up the ideal of the ‘tawny beast’. People actually had little idea of what this meant. Ricarda Huch says: People who did not even have what it takes to be a decent pet rabbit fancied themselves as ‘tawny beasts’ of the kind Nietzsche presented.6The German term for ‘tawny beast’ is ‘blonde Bestie’. Nietzsche experts are in two minds about the interpretation of the term. It comes from Nietzsche's Zur Genealogie der Moral (1887, I, 11): ‘das Raubtier, die prachtvolle nach Beute lstern schweifende blonde Bestie’ (the predator, that magnificent blonde/tawny beast roaming far and wide lusting for prey). One interpretation is that this refers to the Janissary, a ‘killing order’ of warriors who in their boyhood had been taken from Christian families by the Turks and, thus removed from the humanizing influence of a family, trained to be utterly ruthless and inhuman. Other experts, and clearly also Ricarda Huch, think the term refers to a lion. (Translator.) There you have the modern bourgeois point of view. One does not have what it takes to be a decent rabbit, but if someone establishes a high ideal—that is how they like to see themselves! One considers oneself to be this, without doing anything to achieve it. People do not feel they need to develop, for they cannot bear the idea of being something in the future; they want to be something now. This splits them apart into human atoms, each with his own point of view, with no one able to understand anyone else.
There, in this mood where no one can understand anyone else, you see the destructive powers at work in human society. This is driving people apart. It was, of course, the devil who presented people with the temptation to be ‘tawny beasts’. They did not actually become such beasts, but even so, the nineteenth-century impulses which destroy social life in the twentieth century have certainly taken root. We will continue with this tomorrow.
Vierter Vortrag
Ich sagte in den vorangegangenen Betrachtungen, daß es der Menschheit von unserer Zeit an notwendig wird, gewisse Wahrheiten über spirituelle Hintergründe der äußeren Welt kennenzulernen. Werden sich die Menschen nicht dazu herbeilassen, diese Wahrheiten, man möchte sagen gutwillig entgegenzunehmen, so werden sie eben durch die Gewalt der fürchterlichen Ereignisse im Laufe der Zeiten gezwungen werden, aus diesen Ereignissen selbst zu lernen.
Nun kann die Frage entstehen: Warum wird es denn von der Gegenwart ab der Menschheit notwendig, sich mit solchen zum Teil erschütternden Wahrheiten bekanntzumachen, da ja diese Wahrheiten selbstverständlich seit alten Zeiten bestanden haben und die Menschheit in ihrem weiteren Umkreise davor behütet worden ist, diese Wahrheiten entgegenzunehmen? In den Mysterien wurden ja viele solche Wahrheiten in der Ihnen bekannten Art sorgsam behütet, weil die Menschen im weiteren Umkreise nicht dem Erschütternden dieser Wahrheiten ausgesetzt werden konnten. Nun haben wir ja oftmals gesagt: Die Furcht vor den großen Wahrheiten ist es, die die Menschen heute davon abhält, sie entgegenzunehmen. - Diejenigen, die in der Gegenwart diese Furcht haben - und die sind sehr zahlreich -, könnten natürlich sagen: Warum soll denn die Menschheit nicht weiter gewissermaßen in einer Art von Schlafzustand erhalten werden gegenüber diesen Wahrheiten? Warum soll denn gerade diese im Lauf der letzten Zeit so nervös gewordene Menschheit den großen, erschütternden Wahrheiten ausgesetzt werden?
Wir wollen uns gerade mit dieser Frage ein wenig befassen, wollen zunächst einmal das Augenmerk darauf lenken, wie es denn kommt, daß von jetzt ab die Menschheit aus der geistigen Welt heraus gewissermaßen anders behandelt werden muß als im bisherigen Verlauf der nachatlantischen Zeit.
Ich habe in den vorangehenden Betrachtungen schon gesprochen von dem Grenzgebiet, von derjenigen geistigen Welt nämlich, die unmittelbar angrenzt an unsere physisch-sinnliche Welt. Diese geistige Welt, die ist es hauptsächlich, von welcher der Menschheit Kenntnis werden muß in der allernächsten Zeit. Nun, sobald man die Gebiete einer geistigen Welt betritt, sieht es ja da anders aus als hier in der physisch-sinnlichen Welt. Man macht Bekanntschaft mit gewissen Wesenheiten, vor allen Dingen mit Wesenheiten, deren Anblick der schwachen Menschheit entzogen wird - ich meine jenen Anblick auch, der in Erkenntnissen, in Begriffen vermittelt wird. Warum wurde denn der Blick der Menschen in der nachatlantischen Zeit auch von dieser nächsten Welt bisher abgelenkt?
Das ist aus dem Grunde, weil schon in diesem Grenzlande, jenseits dessen dann die andern höheren geistigen Welten liegen, sich Wesen finden, welche bisher nur unter gewissen Bedingungen eigentlich den Menschen bekanntgemacht werden durften - Wesen, welche eine bestimmte Aufgabe haben im gesamten Weltenall, welche namentlich bei der Entwickelung des Menschen selber eine Aufgabe haben. Es gibt da die verschiedensten Grenzwesenheiten.
Ich will heute von einer Klasse dieser Wesenheiten zu Ihnen sprechen, und zwar von derjenigen Klasse, welche im Weltenzusammenhange ihre Aufgabe hat bei der Geburt und bei dem Tode des Menschen. Man soll nur ja nicht glauben, daß Geburt und Tod des Menschen das sind, als was sie sich der äußeren sinnlichen Beobachtung darstellen. Wenn der Mensch hereintritt aus der geistigen Welt in diese physische Welt und wenn er wiederum heraustritt aus dieser physischen Welt in die geistige Welt, dann wirken bei diesen Vorgängen geistige Wesenheiten mit. Nennen wir sie heute, um Namen zu haben, die Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes. Es war wirklich so, daß diejenigen Persönlichkeiten, die bisher in die Mysterien eingeweiht waren, es als ihre strengste Aufgabe betrachtet haben, in weiterem Umkreise den Menschen gerade von diesen Elementarwesen der Geburt und des Todes nicht zu sprechen. Denn spricht man von ihnen, von der ganzen Art und Weise, wie diese Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes leben, dann spricht man von einem Gebiete, das dem Menschen, so wie er sich nun einmal geistig-seelisch entwickelt hat bisher in der nachatlantischen Zeit, doch vorkommt wie glühende Kohle. Man könnte auch einen andern Vergleich wählen. Lernt der Mensch genauer und mit vollem Bewußtsein das Wesen dieser Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes kennen, so lernt er eigentlich Kräfte kennen in diesen Wesen, die dem Leben hier auf dem physischen Plan feindlich sind. Schon das muß für eine einigermaßen normal empfindende Seele eine erschütternde Wahrheit sein, wenn sie hört, daß die die Weltengeschikke lenkenden göttlich-geistigen Wesenheiten, um Geburt und Tod des Menschen in der physischen Welt zustandezubringen, sich solcher Elementargeister bedienen müssen, die eigentlich feindlich gesinnt sind allem, was hier auf dem physischen Plan der Mensch als sein Wohlergehen, als seine Wohlfahrt sucht und begehrt. Würde nur alles das bewirkt werden, was der Mensch gerne mag: daß es ihm hier bequem gehe auf dem physischen Plan, daß er gesund wachen und schlafen, gesund seine Arbeit verrichten kann, würde es nur Wesen geben, die diesem bequemen Verlauf des Lebens vorstehen, so würden Geburt und Tod nicht zustandekommen können. Die Götter brauchen schon einmal, um Geburt und Tod zustandezubringen, solche Wesenheiten, die eigentlich in ihrer ganzen Gesinnung und ihrer ganzen Weltauffassung einen Drang haben, dasjenige zu zerstören, zu verwüsten, was dem Menschen seine Wohlfahrt hier auf dem physischen Plan bewirkt.
Man muß sich schon mit der Idee bekanntmachen, daß die Welt nicht so eingerichtet ist, wie sie die Menschen gern haben möchten, sondern daß es in der Welt das gibt, was in den ägyptischen Mysterien die eherne Notwendigkeit genannt wurde. Und zu dieser ehernen Notwendigkeit gehört es, daß die Götter sich solcher, dem physischen Weltengange feindlicher Wesenheiten bedienen, damit Geburt und Tod des Menschen zustandekommen können. Da blicken wir hin auf eine Welt, die unmittelbar an die unsere angrenzt, die auch täglich, stündlich mit der unsrigen zu tun hat, denn auf der Erde geschehen täglich, stündlich die Vorgänge der Geburt und des Todes. Und in dem Augenblick, wo der Mensch die Schwelle überschreitet zu dieser Welt, da kommt er in eine Regsamkeit, in ein Leben von Wesen hinein, die zerstörerisch für das gewöhnliche physische Leben des Menschen in ihrem ganzen Gebaren, in ihrem Begehren und in ihrer Weltanschauung sind. Hätte man bisher außerhalb der Mysterien die Menschen im weitesten Umfange bekanntgemacht damit, daß es solche Wesenheiten gibt, hätte man dem Menschen Begriffe beigebracht von diesen Wesenhetten, es würde ganz gewiß das folgende geschehen sein. Die Menschen, die durchaus nicht zurechtkommen mit ihren Instinkten und ihren Trieben, mit ihren Leidenschaften, die würden, wenn sie gewußt hätten: fortwährend sind um uns zerstörerische Wesenheiten -, die würden sich der Kräfte dieser zerstörerischen Wesenheiten bedient haben — nun nicht wie die Götter sich ihrer bedienen bei Geburt und Tod, sondern innerhalb des physischen Lebens. Wenn die Menschen Lust gehabt hätten, auf diesem oder jenem Gebiete zerstörerisch zu wirken, wäre ihnen reichlich Gelegenheit geboten gewesen, diese Wesenheiten zu ihren Dienern zu nehmen, denn man kann leicht diese Wesenheiten zu seinen Dienern nehmen. Damit das gewöhnliche Leben bewahrt bleibt vor den zerstörerischen Wesen der Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes, wurde geschwiegen von dieser Weisheit.
Nun ist die Frage: Soll denn nicht vielleicht auch weiter davon geschwiegen werden? — Das geht nicht, das geht aus gewissen Gründen nicht. Es geht aus einem Grunde nicht, der mit einem großen, bedeutsamen Weltengesetz zusammenhängt. Besser als durch eine allgemeine Formel kann ich Ihnen dieses Weltengesetz durch seine konkrete Erscheinungsform in unserer Zeit und in der nächsten Zukunft klarmachen. Sie wissen: Seit gar nicht langer Zeit sind in die Menschheitsentwickelung immer mehr und mehr Kulturimpulse hereingezogen, die früher nicht da waren, die aber gerade für die Kultur der Gegenwart charakteristisch sind. Versuchen Sie nur einmal, sich in Gedanken zurückzuversetzen in Zeiten, die verhältnismäßig noch gar nicht weit hinter uns liegen. Da werden Sie Zeiten finden, in denen noch keine Dampflokomotiven gefahren sind, Zeiten, in denen man noch nicht sich der Elektrizität bedient hat wie in unserer Zeit, Zeiten, in denen höchstens Denker wie Leonardo da Vinci im Gedanken und im Experiment sich Vorstellungen gemacht haben, wie man durch menschliche Instrumente in die Luft fliegen kann. Das alles ist in verhältnismäßig kurzer Zeit realisiert worden. Bedenken Sie, wieviel heute abhängt von der Verwendung des Dampfes, von der Verwendung der Elektrizität, von der Verwendung jener Luftdichtigkeitsverteilung, die zu der Luftschiffahrt geführt hat oder zu jener Statik, die zum Fliegerwesen geführt hat. Denken wir einmal an all das, was da in der letzten Zeit in die Menschheitsentwickelung eingezogen ist. Denken Sie an so zerstörerische Kräfte wie das Dynamit und so weiter, und Sie werden sich leicht ausmalen können, nach der Schnelligkeit, mit der das alles gegangen ist, daß für die Zukunft noch ganz andere fabelhafte Dinge nach dieser Richtung von der Menschheit erstrebt werden. Sie werden sich leicht ein Bild davon machen können, daß es nicht dem Ideal der Menschheit für die nächste Zukunft entspricht, daß die Goethes immer häufiger werden, dagegen entspricht es dem Ideal, daß die Edisons immer häufiger werden. Das ist nun schon einmal das Ideal der gegenwärtigen Menschheit.
Nun glaubt ja allerdings der Gegenwartsmensch, daß sich das alles — Telegraph, Telephon, Dampfkraftverwendung und so weiter ohne das Mittun von geistigen Wesenheiten vollzieht. Das ist aber nicht der Fall. Die Fortentwickelung der Menschheitskultur, auch wenn der Mensch nichts davon weiß, geschieht auch unter dem Mittun von Elementargeistern. Und es ist nicht etwa — wie es sich die moderne materialistische Menschheit vorstellt — bloß das, was der Mensch als Gedanke von seinem Gehirn ausgeschwitzt hat, was ihn dazu geführt hat, Telefon und Telegraf zu konstruieren, Dampfmaschinen über die Erde zu treiben und über den Acker, sondern all das, was der Mensch in dieser Weise tut, steht unter dem Einfluß von elementargeistigen Wesenheiten. Die wirken und helfen überall mit. Auf diesem Gebiete führt der Mensch nicht allein, sondern er wird geführt. In den Laboratorien, in den Werkstätten, namentlich überall da, wo erfinderischer Geist waltet, da sind die Inspiratoren gewisse elementargeistige Wesenheiten.
Nun sind diejenigen Elementargeister, welche seit dem 18. Jahrhundert unserer Kultur die Impulse geben, von derselben Art wie die, welcher sich die Götter bedienen, um Geburt und Tod herbeizuführen. Das ist eines der Geheimnisse, mit denen sich der Mensch in der Gegenwart bekanntmachen muß. Und das weltgeschichtliche Gesetz, wie ich es genannt habe, besteht darin, daß die Entwickelung so vor sich geht, daß immer auf einem gewissen Gebiete von elementargeistigen Wesenheiten zuerst die Götter herrschend sind, und nachher kommen die Menschen selbst in dieses Gebiet hinein und bedienen sich dieser elementargeistigen Wesenheiten. Während also in älteren Zeiten die Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes im wesentlichen Diener der göttlich-geistigen Weltenlenker waren, werden von unserer Zeit an — es ist ja schon einige Zeit her, daß das im Gange ist - diese Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes die Diener von Technik, Industrie, von kommerziellem Menschenwesen. Das ist wichtig, daß wir diese erschütternde Wahrheit in aller Stärke und Intensität auf unsere Seele wirken lassen.
Da spielt sich etwas ab, von der Zeit der fünften nachatlantischen Kulturperiode an, in der wir drinnenstehen, was ähnlich ist einer Sache, auf die ich öfter aufmerksam gemacht habe, die sich während der atlantischen Zeit abspielte; nur spielte sie sich damals während der vierten atlantischen Kulturperiode ab. Damals nämlich, in der atlantischen Zeit, bedienten sich die göttlich-geistigen Wesen, welche die Menschheitsentwickelung lenkten, bis zur vierten atlantischen Kulturepoche gewisser Elementarwesen. Dieser Elementarwesen mußten sie sich bedienen, weil damals nicht nur so wie jetzt Geburt und Tod gelenkt werden mußten, sondern weil damals, ich möchte sagen der Erde näher, etwas anderes noch gelenkt werden mußte. Erinnern Sie sich an manche Schilderungen, die ich in bezug auf die atlantische Zeit gegeben habe, wie da der Mensch noch beweglich war in seinem ganzen materiellen Wesen, wie er durch die Seele groß wachsen konnte und ein Zwerg bleiben konnte, wie sich das Äußere richtete nach dem Seelenwesen. Erinnern Sie sich an das alles. Während heute nach außen hin der Dienst, den gewisse Elementarwesen bei Geburt und Tod den göttlich-geistigen Wesen leisten, deutlich sichtbar ist, war es dazumal so, daß auch durch das menschliche Leben hindurch, wenn sich so das Äußere dem Inneren konform gestaltete, gewisse Elementarwesenheiten den Göttern dienten. Als nun die atlantische Zeit in ihre vierte Kulturperiode getreten war, da wurden gewissermaßen die Menschen wieder Herrscher über diese selben Elementarwesenheiten, welche die Götter früher gebraucht haben zum Wachstum und zur physiognomischen Ausgestaltung der Menschen im großen. Die Menschen wurden Herrscher über gewisse Götterkräfte, und sie bedienten sich dieser Götterkräfte. Die Folge davon war, daß von einem gewissen Zeitpunkt der atlantischen Zeit ab - so in der Mitte der atlantischen Zeit etwa - es im Begehren des einzelnen Menschen liegen konnte, seine Mitmenschen dadurch zu schädigen, daß er ihnen allerlei anschuf: daß er sie während des Wachstums in der Zwerghaftigkeit hielt oder zu Riesen machte, daß er den physischen Organismus sich so entwickeln ließ, daß der Betreffende ein gescheiter Mensch oder ein Idiot wurde. Das ergab in der Mitte der atlantischen Zeit etwas, was eine furchtbare Macht in den Händen der Menschen war. Und Sie wissen, ich habe darauf aufmerksam gemacht, es wurde dieses Geheimnis nicht gehütet. Aber das liegt nicht daran, daß etwa durch eine Schlechtigkeit dieses Geheimnis nicht gehütet worden ist, sondern es mußte eben nach einem gewissen welthistorischen Gesetz dasjenige, was vorher bloße Götterarbeit war, Menschenarbeit werden. Das alles aber hat innerhalb der atlantischen Zeit zu jenem großen Unfug geführt - zu allen möglichen Gewalttätigkeiten hat das geführt; Sie brauchen sich jetzt nur zu erinnern an das, was ja in der atlantischen Zeit eintrat und was hier öfter geschildert worden ist —, zu jenem Unfug, der notwendig machte, die ganze atlantische Kultur im Verlaufe der letzten vier beziehungsweise drei atlantischen Kulturperioden dem Untergang entgegenzuführen. Und von der Atlantis her ist unsere Kultur so gerettet worden, so herübergebracht worden, wie das öfter dargestellt worden ist.
In einer ähnlichen Weise wird Götterdienst der Menschheit überwiesen von unserer fünften nachatlantischen Zeit ab für die drei beziehungsweise zwei letzten Kulturperioden der nachatlantischen Kultur der fünften Erdenentwickelungswelt. Wir stehen erst am Anfange jener Tätigkeit der Technik, der Industrie, des Kommerziums, in die hinein die Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes ihre Wirkung treiben. Das wird immer stärker und stärker werden, das wird immer einschneidender sein. Davor kann man die Menschheit nicht behüten, denn die Kultur muß fortschreiten. Und die Kultur unseres Zeitalters und der Zukunft muß eine solche sein, daß die Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes, während sie bis zu einem gewissen Zeitpunkt, bisher eben nur beim physischen Entstehen und Vergehen des Menschen gewirkt haben unter der Direktion der Götter, daß diese Elementargeister mit denselben Kräften, mit denen sie bei Geburt und Tod wirken, innerhalb von Technik, Industrie, Kommerzium und so weiter wirken. Damit ist aber etwas ganz Bestimmtes verknüpft.
Ich habe Ihnen ja geschildert, diese Elementargeister sind solche, die eigentlich der Wohlfahrt der Menschheit feindlich, zerstörerisch gesinnt sind. Also fassen wir die Sache nur im richtigen Sinne auf, geben wir uns, wenn wir sie im richtigen Sinne auffassen, keiner Täuschung hin über das Bedeutsame, tief Einschneidende, das da eigentlich vorliegt. Die Kultur muß vorwärtsschreiten im technischen, industriellen und kommerziellen Sinne. Aber die Kultur, die auf diese Weise vorwärtsschreitet, kann ihrem Wesen nach nicht zur Wohlfahrt der Menschen auf dem physischen Plane dienen, sondern sie kann ihrem Wesen nach nur etwas Zerstörerisches für diese Wohlfahrt in sich schließen.
Solch eine Wahrheit ist unbequem für diejenigen Menschen, welche nicht müde werden, immer in Deklamationen zu verfallen, wenn sie über die großen, gewaltigen Fortschritte der Kultur reden, weil sie Abstraktlinge sind und nichts wissen vom auf- und absteigenden Gang der Menschheitsentwickelung. Und geradeso wie das, was ich Ihnen angedeutet habe in bezug auf die atlantische Zeit, zum Untergang der atlantischen Zeit führte, damit eine andere Menschheit kommen konnte, so enthält dasjenige, was sich jetzt inauguriert als kaufmännische, industrielle, technische Kultur, die Elemente, welche zum Untergang der fünften Erdperiode führen. Und nur derjenige sieht klar, nur der sieht die Dinge, wie sie sind, der sich gesteht: Damit beginnen wir an dem zu arbeiten, was die Katastrophe herbeiführen muß.
Das ist das Sich-Hineinversetzen in die ehernen Notwendigkeiten. Menschliche Bequemlichkeit könnte sagen: Also fahre ich nicht auf einer elektrischen Bahn -, könnte eventuell noch so weit gehen, obwohl so weit sich nicht einmal die Mitglieder der Anthroposophischen Gesellschaft versteigen werden, nicht Eisenbahnen zu besteigen und so weiter. Aber das alles wäre Unsinn, wäre richtiger Unsinn. Denn es handelt sich nicht darum, irgend etwas zu meiden, sondern sich Klarheit, Einsicht in die ehernen Notwendigkeiten des Menschheitsganges zu verschaffen. Die Kultur kann nicht in einer stetig aufsteigenden Linie verlaufen, sondern sie kann nur in immer wieder auf- und absteigenden Wogen verlaufen.
Aber etwas anderes kann eintreten, etwas, wovon allerdings die Menschheit der Gegenwart auch noch nicht viel wissen will, aber worin eben gerade dasjenige besteht, womit sich die Menschheit der Gegenwart bekanntmachen muß: Einsicht, klares Hineinschauen in das, was eben notwendig ist — das ist es, was sich über die Menschengemüter ausbreiten muß. Dazu wird aber notwendig sein vieles, was die Gemütsverfassung, die Weltanschauungsverfassung der Seelen wesentlich ändert. Mit inneren Impulsen wird sich die Menschheit durchdringen müssen, die man heute noch gern abweist, weghaben will vom behaglichen Leben. Solche Begriffe, solche inneren Impulse, die man gern weghaben will vom behaglichen Leben, können ja viele angeführt werden. Lassen Sie mich nur ein Beispiel dafür anführen.
Der Mensch der Gegenwart, gerade wenn er ein recht guter Mensch sein will, ein Mensch, der nichts für sich will, sondern immer nur selbstlos für andere will, der strebt selbstverständlich nach gewissen Tugenden. Das sind auch eherne Notwendigkeiten. Nun wird hier selbstverständlich nicht etwa gegen das Streben nach der Tugend gesprochen, aber die Menschen streben eben nicht bloß nach der Tugend. Nach der Tugend streben ist ja schon ganz gut, aber die Menschen streben nicht bloß nach der Tugend; und für die Gegenwart ist die Sache noch meistens so, daß das eigentliche Streben nach der Tugend den Menschen ziemlich einerlei ist, wenn man auf die tieferen Untergründe, auf die unterbewußten Untergründe des Gemütes eingeht. Viel wichtiger ist den Menschen das Gefühl, tugendhaft zu sein, sich so recht hineinzuleben in die Stimmung: Ich bin ein selbstloser Mensch, wie tue ich alles nicht um meinetwillen! Ich bin ein vollkommener Mensch, ein wohlwollender Mensch, ich bin ein Mensch, der an keine Autorität glaubt. — Nachher rennt er allerdings allen möglichen Autoritäten nach. Aber sich gewissermaßen so recht wohlig zu ergehen in dem Bewußtsein, man habe diese oder jene Tugend, das ist für die Menschen heute unendlich wichtiger, als die Tugend wirklich eigentlich zu haben. Die Wollust, sich mit der Tugend ausgestattet zu wissen, das ist es, worauf es den Menschen viel mehr ankommt, als diese Tugend zu üben.
Das hält dann die Menschen ab von gewissen Geheimnissen, die mit den Tugenden zusammenhängen. Von diesen Geheimnissen wollen die Menschen instinktiv nicht viel wissen, insbesondere dann nicht, wenn sie so recht aus dieser eben geschilderten Wollust heraus Idealisten der Gegenwart sind. Alle möglichen Ideale werden ja heute gesellschaftsmäßig vertreten. Man macht Programme und so weiter, stellt Gesellschaftsprinzipien auf, daß man dies oder jenes erstrebt. Alle diese Dinge, die man da erstrebt, mögen recht schön sein. Aber mit dem abstrakten Schönfinden ist es nicht getan. Die Menschen müssen lernen, wirklichkeitsgemäß zu denken. Und da kann man auch mit Bezug auf die Tugendhaftigkeit einmal auf das Wirklichkeitsgemäße aufmerksam machen. Vollkommenheit, Wohlwollen, schöne Tugenden, Recht: das alles ist etwas Schönes für das äußere menschliche Zusammenleben. Aber wenn jemand sagt: Wir streben programmäßig diese oder jene Vollkommenheit an, diese oder jene Richtung des Wohlwollens an, wir versuchen dieses oder jenes Recht zu realisieren -, so sagt er das in der Regel mit der Idee, daß dies etwas Absolutes ist und daß dies nun als etwas Absolutes realisiert werden könne. Nun ja, warum sollte das denn nicht auch schön sein - sagt der Mensch der Gegenwart -, immer vollkommener und vollkommener zu werden! — Und was könnte es denn Idealeres geben, als sich zum Programm zu machen, immer vollkommener und vollkommener zu werden! Aber mit dem Gesetz der Wirklichkeit stimmt das nicht. Es ist ja richtig und gut, immer vollkommener zu werden oder wenigstens werden zu wollen, aber wenn man konkret nach einer bestimmten Richtung der Vollkommenheit strebt, so schlägt nach einiger Zeit dieses Vollkommenheitsstreben um und wird zur Unvollkommenheitswirklichkeit. Das Vollkommenheitsstreben wird nach einiger Zeit durch Umschlag zur Schwäche. Wohlwollen wird nach einiger Zeit zum vorurteilsvollen Verhalten. Und realisieren Sie, welches Recht Sie wollen, es kann noch so gut sein: im Laufe der Zeit wird es zum Unrecht. Es gibt nichts Absolutes auf dieser Welt. Das ist die Realität. Man strebe irgendein Gutes an - durch den Gang der Welt wird es ein Schlechtes. Daher muß immer neu und neu gestrebt werden, in immer neuen Gestaltungen gestrebt werden. Das ist es, worauf es ankommt. In bezug auf solches Streben der Menschen besteht eine Oszillation, ein Hin- und Herpendeln. Und nichts ist der Menschheit schädlicher als der Glaube an absolute Ideale, weil die dem realen Gang der Weltenentwickelung widersprechen.
Man gebraucht gerne, wenn man so etwas darlegen will, nicht um etwas zu beweisen, sondern nur um es zu veranschaulichen, gewisse Begriffe. In gewisser Beziehung können naturwissenschaftliche Begriffe symbolisch auch geistige Begriffe veranschaulichen. Denken Sie sich: Wir haben hier ein Pendel befestigt (es wird gezeichnet). Nicht wahr, wenn dieses Pendel hier herausgeht, so daß es hier ist nach der einen Seite ausschlagend -, und man läßt es dann herunterfallen, so kommt es hier in seine Gleichgewichtslage. Es macht diesen Weg durch.
Warum macht das Pendel diesen Weg durch? Weil die Schwerkraft auf das Pendel wirkt - so sagt man. Es fällt herunter, aber wenn es da unten angekommen ist, da bleibt es nicht stehen. Es hat durch das Herunterfallen ein gewisses Beharrungsvermögen in sich aufgenommen, und es schlägt dadurch gerade nach der entgegengesetzten Richtung aus. Dann fällt es wieder herunter. Das heißt, während das Pendel diesen Weg durchmacht, nimmt es so viel Kraft auf durch das Herunterfallen, daß es durch diese seine eigene Kraft nach der andern Seite hin ausschlägt, geradeso hoch wie es vorher war. Um nachträglich dies oder jenes zu verdeutlichen, braucht man solch einen Vergleich. Man kann sagen: Irgendeine Tugend - Vollkommenheit, Wohlwollen — macht ganz richtig diesen Weg, aber schlägt dann nach der andern Seite aus. Vollkommenheit wird Schwäche, Wohlwollen wird vorurteilsvolle Afterliebe, Recht wird Unrecht im Verlaufe der Entwickelung.
Mit solchen Begriffen will sich die Menschheit heute nicht gern tragen. Denn denken Sie doch nur einmal, wenn man dem biederen Spießbürger der Gegenwart, der seinen Verein gründet auf gewisse Ideale hin, klarmachen wollte: Mit dem, was du jetzt als Ideal aufstellst, wirst du, wenn du es dem Gang der Entwickelung einfügst, nach verhältnismäßig gar nicht so langer Zeit das Gegenteil bewirken -, ja, der würde glauben, man wäre nicht nur kein Idealist, sondern ein richtiger Teufel. Denn wie soll das Streben nach Vollkommenheit nicht immer weiter ins Vollkommene hinsteuern und Recht nicht immer weiter und weiter Recht bleiben! An die Stelle der einseitigen, abstrakten Begriffe die Begriffe der Wirklichkeit zu setzen, das wird der gegenwärtigen Menschheit ganz besonders schwer. Das muß aber die gegenwärtige Menschheit lernen, sonst wird sie nicht weiterkommen. Und so muß sie sich auch damit bekanntmachen, daß die Kulturentwickelung selber das Hantieren mit den Elementargeistern der Geburt und des Todes nach und nach notwendig macht. Und damit muß die Menschheit die Einfügung eines zerstörerischen Elementes in die Menschheitsentwickelung kennenlernen.
An einzelnen Stellen kommen instinktiv auf diese Dinge auch solche Menschen, die es ablehnen, sich in weiterem Umfang mit der Geisteswissenschaft bekanntzumachen, die ja das einzige Mittel ist, zu diesen Dingen die rechte Stellung zu finden. Was bedeutet denn eigentlich dasjenige, was ich Ihnen jetzt gesagt habe? Es sind natürlich Sendboten des Ahriman, diese Elementargeister der Geburt und des Todes. Die Götter müssen sich, aus der ehernen Notwendigkeit der Weltenentwickelung heraus, der Sendboten des Ahriman bedienen, um Geburt und Tod zu regeln. Sie lassen für ihre Taten die Kräfte dieser Sendboten nicht herein auf den physischen Plan. Aber in der absteigenden Kulturentwickelung, von der fünften nachatlantischen Periode ab, muß wiederum, damit die Katastrophe kommen kann, gerade in die Kulturentwickelung das hereinkommen. Der Mensch selbst muß mit diesen Kräften hantieren. Sendboten des Ahriman also sind notwendig, ehern notwendig, um jene Zerstörung hervorzurufen, die der nächste Kulturfortschritt sein wird. Das ist eine furchtbare Wahrheit, aber es ist so. Und es hilft gegenüber dieser Wahrheit nichts anderes, als sich mit ihr bekanntzumachen, klar in sie hineinzuschauen. Wir werden schon weiter davon sprechen. Sie werden schon sehen, was alles die richtige Stellung zu diesen Wahrheiten erfordert.
Instinktiv, sage ich, kommen manche Menschen darauf, daß so etwas notwendig ist. Instinktiv ist zum Beispiel darauf gekommen eine Persönlichkeit, die manches gute Buch in der Gegenwart geschrieben hat - allerdings kein Buch, das irgendwie an Geisteswissenschaft ernsthaft anklingt —, ich meine Ricarda Huch. Und ganz bemerkenswert ist wegen des Instinktes, nicht wegen der Einsicht, aber wegen des Instinktes, der in diesem Buch waltet, das neueste Buch über «Luthers Glaube». Wenn Sie die ersten Kapitel dieses Buches lesen, so finden Sie darin einen merkwürdigen Schrei — könnte man sagen -, den Schrei danach, daß die Menschheit wiederum etwas kennenlernen müßte, was eigentlich seit Luthers Zeiten, bis zu welchen noch atavistisches Hellsehen auf diesem Gebiete gereicht hat, der Menschheit verlorengegangen ist. Ricarda Huch sagt, daß eigentlich das Notwendigste für die gegenwärtige Menschheit sei, den Teufel kennenzulernen. Sie betrachtet es nicht als so notwendig, sich mit Gott bekanntzumachen; als viel notwendiger betrachtet sie es für die gegenwärtige Menschheit, sich mit dem Teufel bekanntzumachen.
Warum das notwendig ist, weiß natürlich Ricarda Huch nicht. Aber instinktiv fühlt sie, daß es notwendig ist. Daher dieser eindringliche Schrei nach der Erkenntnis des Teufels in den ersten Kapiteln dieses Buches, der sehr symptomatisch, bedeutsam ist für die Gegenwart. Sie denkt sich: Mit Gott werden die Menschen schon wieder bekanntwerden, wenn sie nur wissen, daß der Teufel um sie herum umgeht. - Natürlich, solche Menschen, die doch nicht an die Geisteswissenschaft heran wollen, die finden dann immer, suchen immer Entschuldigungsgründe für so etwas. Daß der Teufel als reales Wesen wiederum von den Menschen erkannt werden soll, das fühlt Ricarda Huch; aber sie entschuldigt es gleich damit, daß das doch selbstverständlich nicht so ist, daß man sich vorstellen soll, daß er mit Schwanz und Hörnern auf der Straße herumlaufe. - Nun, er läuft schon herum! «Den Teufel merkt das Völkchen nie, und wenn er es auch schon am Kragen hätte.» Der Abstraktling der Gegenwart braucht eben gleich eine Entschuldigung, wenn er auch instinktiv das, was dringend notwendig ist, einsieht. Aber ein guter, ein richtiger Instinkt für die Gegenwart liegt diesem Schrei nach dem Teufel zugrunde. Die Menschen sollen nicht einfach blind, schlafend hineinwachsen in dasjenige, was eine eherne Notwendigkeit für die nächste Zeit von ihnen verlangt: sich im Laboratorium, in der Werkstätte, in der Bank, überall mit den Sendlingen des Teufels zu tun zu machen. Das müssen die Menschen zum Kulturfortschritt tun; aber kennen müssen sie den Teufel, wissen müssen sie, daß in dem Augenblicke, wo sie, sagen wir, die Stahlkammern aufschließen, in der Kraft des Schlüssels die Kraft des Teufels steckt. Das ahnt instinktiv Ricarda Huch. Das müssen die Menschen wissen, denn allein das Wissen führt in der richtigen Weise in die Zukunft hinein. Und schon das ist von ungeheuer großer Bedeutung, daß sich Menschen finden, die instinktiv die Notwendigkeit betonen, daß die Menschen nicht schlafend an dem immer mächtiger werdenden Teufel vorbeigehen.
Vielleicht ist auch das charakteristisch — das sage ich nur in Parenthese: Im Paradiese war es ja auch eine Frau, welche die Funktionen des Teufels instinktiv hereingeführt hat in dieses Paradies. Es ist, wie ich glaube, in der äußeren Kultur ja kein besonderes Renommee für die Männer, daß sie diesen Aberglauben noch weit abweisen und es vorläufig wiederum der Frau überlassen haben; es ist vielleicht charakteristisch, daß Ricarda Huch als Frau nach dem Teufel ruft, wie einstmals die Eva im Paradies den Teufel hereingelassen hat. Doch das sage ich nur in Parenthese.
Aber dieser Teufel ist schon dasjenige Wesen, das der Träger der Kultur der Zukunft sein wird und sein muß. Es ist eine herbe, aber eine wichtige Wahrheit. Diese Wahrheit hängt innig zusammen damit, daß sich in diesen Kulturgang in die Zukunft hinein zerstörerische Kräfte mischen müssen. Insbesondere - und davon werde ich morgen reden — müssen sich zerstörerische Kräfte, wenn die Sache nicht in weiser Art geleitet wird, in alles Erziehungswesen, namentlich in die Kindererziehung mischen. Aber auch in das ganze soziale Zusammenleben der Menschen werden sich immer mehr und mehr wegen der allgemeinen Kultur, wegen der Usancen, wegen der Emotionen der Menschen zerstörende Kräfte mischen, Kräfte, welche vor allen Dingen die Verhältnisse unter den Menschen selber immer mehr zerstören werden.
Streben soll der Mensch danach, das Wort Christi zu realisieren: «Wo zwei in meinem Namen vereint sind, bin ich mitten unter ihnen.» Aber die technische, die kommerzielle Kultur macht nicht dieses zur Wahrheit, sondern das andere: Wo zwei oder mehrere in meinem Namen sich zanken und streiten und bekämpfen wollen, da bin ich mitten unter ihnen. — Und das wird immer mehr in das soziale Menschenleben hineinkommen. Das führt aber dazu, daß überhaupt die Schwierigkeit besteht, heute in die Menschheit verbindende Wahrheiten hineinzuführen.
Und machen wir uns jetzt zum Schlusse wenigstens vorläufig klar - wir werden morgen und übermorgen über die Dinge weiter reden -, wie die Gemütsverfassung der Menschen in bezug auf das Entgegennehmen von Wahrheiten überhaupt ist. Der Mensch nimmt heute nicht gern Wahrheiten entgegen, weil er gar nicht glaubt, daß Wahrheiten etwas sein könnten, was unmittelbar aus der geistigen Welt hereintritt und an die Menschen herankommt. Der Mensch der Gegenwart glaubt, Wahrheit kann nur etwas sein, was absolut auf seinem Grund und Boden wächst. Wenn man heute so in den Zwanzigerjahren ist, dann hat man seinen Standpunkt, dann braucht man nicht erst von der Wahrheit überzeugt zu werden, dann braucht einem die Wahrheit nicht erst geoffenbart zu werden, dann hat man seinen Standpunkt. Und es kann jemand kommen, der mit all seinem Eifer um die Wahrheit gerungen hat — der vierundzwanzigjährige Dachs, der eben die Universität absolviert und vielleicht noch Vorlesungen gehört hat über die Philosophie, der hat seinen Standpunkt, über den er dann diskutiert mit dem andern, der mit allem Eifer um die Wahrheit gerungen hat. Heute hat jeder seinen Standpunkt, und jeder glaubt, daß auch auf dem unvorbereiteten Boden die absolute, allein sichere Wahrheit wächst. Die Menschen sind nicht geneigt, Wahrheiten entgegenzunehmen, sondern sie ernennen sich zum Besitzer der Wahrheit. Das ist ja das Charakteristikon der Gegenwart.
Auch darüber hat Ricarda Huch ein sehr schönes Wort gesprochen. Sie hat darauf aufmerksam gemacht, wie unserer jetzigen Weltauffassung — oder wie man es nennen will -, die überall im Chauvinismus schwimmt, vorangegangen ist bei den aufgeklärten Europäern der Nietzscheanismus, der über alle Vaterländer und über allen Chauvinismus weit erhaben war. Die Menschen sind Anhänger Nietzsches geworden. Wie viele sind Anhänger Nietzsches geworden! Nietzsche hat das Ideal der «blonden Bestie» aufgestellt. Verstanden haben die Menschen wenig davon. Aber Ricarda Huch sagt: Ein jeder, der nicht einmal die Anlage hat, ein respektables Meerschweinchen zu werden, hat sich eingebildet, selber nun die «blonde Bestie» zu sein im Sinne Nietzsches. —- Ja, das ist nämlich heute der Standpunkt des Spießbürgertums. Man hat wirklich nicht die Anlage, ein respektables Meerschweinchen zu sein, aber wenn irgendwo ein noch so hohes Ideal aufgestellt wird, da ist man es! Man ist es einfach, weil man findet, man ist es, ohne daß man irgend etwas dazu tut, weil man ja nicht anstrebt, sich zu entwickeln, weil man es nicht erträgt, erst etwas zu werden, weil man nur etwas sein will. Das aber zerspaltet die Menschen in Menschheitsatome. Ein jeder hat seinen Standpunkt. Keiner kann mehr den andern verstehen.
Da sehen Sie — gerade in dieser Stimmung, daß keiner mehr den andern verstehen kann - das Walten der zerstörerischen Kräfte in der menschlichen Gesellschaftsordnung selber. Das treibt die Menschen auseinander. Es war schon der Teufel, der den Menschen die Versuchung eingegeben hat, als Nietzsche- Anhänger selber «blonde Bestien» zu sein. Sie sind es nicht geworden. Aber wenn die Menschen auch keine «blonden Bestien» im Sinne Nietzsches geworden sind - es ist doch schon etwas geworden aus diesen die Sozialität zerstörenden Impulsen des 19. Jahrhunderts in diesem 20. Jahrhundert. Das wollen wir dann morgen weiter besprechen.
Fourth Lecture
In my previous reflections, I said that it will become necessary for humanity in our time to learn certain truths about the spiritual background of the outer world. If people do not bring themselves to accept these truths willingly, they will be forced to learn from these events themselves through the violence of terrible events in the course of time.
Now the question may arise: Why is it necessary for humanity to become acquainted with such truths, some of which are shocking, since these truths have obviously existed since ancient times and humanity has been protected from accepting them in its wider environment? In the mysteries, many such truths were carefully guarded in the manner known to you, because people in the wider world could not be exposed to the shock of these truths. Now, we have often said that it is fear of the great truths that prevents people today from accepting them. Those who have this fear at present—and they are very numerous—could of course say: Why should humanity not continue to be kept in a kind of sleep state with regard to these truths? Why should humanity, which has become so nervous in recent times, be exposed to these great, shocking truths?
We want to deal with this question a little, first of all drawing attention to how it comes about that from now on humanity must be treated differently from the spiritual world than it has been in the course of the post-Atlantean period.
In the preceding considerations, I have already spoken of the border area, namely the spiritual world that immediately adjoins our physical-sensory world. It is mainly this spiritual world that humanity must become aware of in the very near future. Now, as soon as one enters the realms of a spiritual world, things look different there than here in the physical-sensory world. One becomes acquainted with certain beings, above all with beings whose sight is hidden from weak humanity — I mean also that sight which is conveyed in knowledge and concepts. Why, then, has the gaze of human beings in the post-Atlantean era been diverted from this next world until now?
This is because even in this borderland, beyond which lie the other higher spiritual worlds, there are beings who, until now, could only be revealed to humans under certain conditions—beings who have a specific task in the entire universe, who have a task in the development of humanity itself. There are all kinds of borderline beings.
Today I want to speak to you about one class of these beings, namely the class that has its task in the world context at the birth and death of human beings. One should not believe that the birth and death of human beings are what they appear to be to external sensory observation. When human beings enter this physical world from the spiritual world, and when they leave this physical world and return to the spiritual world, spiritual beings are involved in these processes. Let us call them, for the sake of having names, the elemental spirits of birth and death. It was really the case that those personalities who were previously initiated into the mysteries considered it their most solemn duty not to speak to people in wider circles about these elemental beings of birth and death. For if one speaks of them, of the whole way in which these elemental spirits of birth and death live, then one speaks of a realm which, as human beings have developed spiritually and soulfully in the post-Atlantean period, appears to them like glowing coals. One could also choose another comparison. If human beings learn more precisely and with full consciousness about the nature of these elemental spirits of birth and death, they actually learn about forces in these beings that are hostile to life here on the physical plane. This alone must be a shocking truth for a soul with reasonably normal feelings when it hears that the divine-spiritual beings who guide the destinies of the worlds must make use of such elemental spirits, who are actually hostile to everything that human beings seek and desire for their well-being and welfare here on the physical plane, in order to bring about human birth and death in the physical world. If only everything that humans like were to be brought about: that they should be comfortable here on the physical plane, that they should be able to wake and sleep in good health and do their work in good health, if there were only beings who presided over this comfortable course of life, then birth and death could not come about. In order to bring about birth and death, the gods need beings who, in their entire disposition and worldview, have an urge to destroy and devastate that which brings about human welfare here on the physical plane.
One must familiarize oneself with the idea that the world is not arranged as human beings would like it to be, but that there is something in the world that was called iron necessity in the Egyptian mysteries. And it is part of this iron necessity that the gods make use of such beings that are hostile to the physical world in order that human birth and death may come about. Here we look upon a world that is directly adjacent to ours, that has daily, hourly dealings with ours, for on earth the processes of birth and death take place daily, hourly. And at the moment when a human being crosses the threshold into this world, he enters into a realm of activity, into a life of beings whose entire behavior, desires, and worldview are destructive to the ordinary physical life of human beings. If, outside the mysteries, people had been made aware of the existence of such beings in the broadest sense, if they had been taught about these beings, the following would certainly have happened. People who are completely unable to cope with their instincts and drives, with their passions, would, if they had known that destructive beings are constantly around us, have made use of the powers of these destructive beings — not as the gods use them at birth and death, but within physical life. If people had felt the desire to act destructively in this or that area, they would have had ample opportunity to take these beings as their servants, for it is easy to take these beings as servants. In order to protect ordinary life from the destructive beings of the elemental spirits of birth and death, this wisdom was kept secret.
Now the question is: Should we perhaps continue to keep silent about this? — That is not possible, for certain reasons. It is not possible for a reason that is connected with a great and significant law of the world. I can explain this law of the world to you more clearly than through a general formula by showing you its concrete manifestation in our time and in the near future. You know that, in recent times, more and more cultural impulses have been introduced into human development which did not exist before but which are characteristic of the culture of the present. Just try to think back to times which are not so far behind us. You will find times when steam locomotives did not yet run, times when electricity was not yet used as it is today, times when, at most, thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci imagined in their minds and experiments how it might be possible to fly through the air with human instruments. All this has been achieved in a relatively short time. Consider how much depends today on the use of steam, on the use of electricity, on the use of airtightness, which led to airship travel, or on the statics that led to aviation. Let us think about all that has entered human development in recent times. Think of such destructive forces as dynamite and so on, and you will easily imagine, given the speed with which all this has happened, that in the future humanity will strive for even more fabulous things in this direction. You can easily imagine that it is not the ideal of humanity for the near future that there will be more and more Goethes, but rather that there will be more and more Edisons. That is the ideal of present-day humanity.
Now, of course, contemporary man believes that all this — the telegraph, the telephone, the use of steam power, and so on — is accomplished without the cooperation of spiritual beings. But that is not the case. The further development of human culture, even if man knows nothing about it, also takes place with the cooperation of elemental spirits. And it is not, as modern materialistic humanity imagines, merely what man has sweated out of his brain as thoughts that has led him to construct the telephone and telegraph, to drive steam engines across the earth and across the fields, but everything that man does in this way is under the influence of elemental spirit beings. They work and help everywhere. In this realm, humans do not act alone, but are guided. In laboratories, in workshops, especially wherever inventive spirit reigns, there are certain elemental spirit beings who are the inspirers.
Now, those elemental spirits that have been giving impulses to our culture since the 18th century are of the same kind as those that the gods use to bring about birth and death. This is one of the secrets with which human beings must familiarize themselves in the present. And the law of world history, as I have called it, consists in the fact that development proceeds in such a way that in a certain realm of elemental spirit beings, the gods first reign supreme, and later human beings themselves enter this realm and make use of these elemental spirit beings. So while in earlier times the elemental spirits of birth and death were essentially servants of the divine spiritual rulers of the world, from our time onwards — and this has already been going on for some time — these elemental spirits of birth and death have become servants of technology, industry, and commercial human beings. It is important that we allow this shocking truth to sink into our souls with all its force and intensity.
Something has been happening since the beginning of the fifth post-Atlantean cultural epoch, in which we now live, that is similar to something I have often pointed out that happened during the Atlantean epoch, only then it happened during the fourth Atlantean cultural epoch. At that time, during the Atlantean epoch, the divine-spiritual beings who guided human evolution made use of certain elemental beings until the fourth Atlantean cultural epoch. They had to make use of these elemental beings because at that time, not only did birth and death have to be guided, as they do now, but because at that time, I would say closer to the earth, something else also had to be guided. Remember some of the descriptions I have given of the Atlantean period, how human beings were still mobile in their entire material being, how they could grow large through the soul and remain dwarfs, how the outer form was determined by the soul being. Remember all this. Whereas today the service that certain elemental beings render to the divine-spiritual beings at birth and death is clearly visible outwardly, in those days it was so that certain elemental beings also served the gods throughout human life, when the outer was conformed to the inner. When the Atlantean era entered its fourth cultural period, human beings became, in a sense, rulers over these same elemental beings that the gods had previously used for the growth and physiognomic development of human beings in general. Human beings became rulers over certain divine forces, and they made use of these divine forces. The consequence of this was that from a certain point in the Atlantean era—around the middle of the Atlantean era, roughly—it became possible for individual humans to desire to harm their fellow humans by inflicting all kinds of things on them: keeping them in dwarfism during their growth or turning them into giants, allowing the physical organism to develop in such a way that the person concerned became a clever human being or an idiot. In the middle of the Atlantean epoch, this resulted in something that was a terrible power in the hands of human beings. And you know, I have pointed out that this secret was not kept. But that is not because of any evil that prevented this secret from being kept; rather, according to a certain law of world history, what had previously been the work of gods had to become the work of human beings. All of this, however, led to great mischief during the Atlantean epoch — it led to all kinds of violence; you need only remember what what happened in the Atlantean epoch and what has been described here many times — to that mischief which made it necessary to lead the entire Atlantean culture to ruin in the course of the last four or three Atlantean cultural periods. And from Atlantis our culture was saved, brought over, as has been described many times.
In a similar way, divine service will be transferred to humanity from our fifth post-Atlantean epoch for the last three or two cultural periods of the post-Atlantean culture of the fifth world of Earth's evolution. We are only at the beginning of that activity of technology, industry, and commerce in which the elemental spirits of birth and death are exerting their influence. This will become stronger and stronger, and more and more decisive. Humanity cannot be protected from this, for culture must progress. And the culture of our age and of the future must be such that the elemental spirits of birth and death, while they have hitherto only worked under the direction of the gods in the physical coming into being and passing away of human beings, will work with the same forces with which they work in birth and death within technology, industry, commerce, and so on. But something very specific is connected with this.
I have already described to you that these elemental spirits are actually hostile to the welfare of humanity and have destructive intentions. So let us understand the matter in the right sense, and if we understand it in the right sense, let us not be deceived about the significant, deeply incisive reality that actually exists. Culture must advance in the technical, industrial, and commercial sense. But culture that advances in this way cannot, by its very nature, serve the welfare of human beings on the physical plane; rather, by its very nature, it can only contain something destructive for this welfare.
Such a truth is inconvenient for those people who never tire of falling into declamations when they talk about the great, mighty advances of culture, because they are abstract thinkers and know nothing of the upward and downward course of human development. And just as what I have indicated to you in relation to the Atlantean epoch led to the downfall of the Atlantean epoch so that another humanity could come into being, so what is now being inaugurated as commercial, industrial, and technical culture contains the elements that will lead to the downfall of the fifth earth period. And only those who admit to themselves that we are beginning to work on what must bring about the catastrophe can see clearly, can see things as they are.
This is putting oneself in the place of iron necessities. Human convenience might say: So I will not ride on an electric train — and might even go so far, although not even the members of the Anthroposophical Society would venture that far, as to refuse to board trains and so on. But all that would be nonsense, utter nonsense. For it is not a matter of avoiding anything, but of gaining clarity and insight into the iron necessities of the human journey. Culture cannot follow a steadily ascending line, but can only proceed in waves that rise and fall again and again.
But something else can happen, something that the people of today do not yet want to know much about, but which is precisely what the people of today need to become familiar with: insight, a clear view of what is necessary — that is what must spread throughout the human mind. However, this will require many changes that will fundamentally alter the state of mind and worldview of souls. Humanity will have to be permeated by inner impulses that are still readily rejected today, that people want to remove from their comfortable lives. Many such concepts, such inner impulses that people want to remove from their comfortable lives, can be cited. Let me give just one example.
The person of today, especially if they want to be a good person, a person who wants nothing for themselves but always wants only selflessly for others, naturally strives for certain virtues. These are also iron necessities. Now, of course, we are not speaking here against the pursuit of virtue, but people do not strive merely for virtue. Striving for virtue is all well and good, but people do not strive solely for virtue; and in the present day, the situation is still such that, if one delves into the deeper, subconscious layers of the mind, people are largely indifferent to the actual pursuit of virtue. Much more important to people is the feeling of being virtuous, of really getting into the mood: I am a selfless person, I do everything for others and not for myself! I am a perfect person, a benevolent person, I am a person who does not believe in any authority. — Afterwards, however, they run after all kinds of authorities. But to feel so comfortable in the knowledge that one has this or that virtue is infinitely more important to people today than actually having that virtue. The pleasure of knowing that one is endowed with virtue is what matters much more to people than practicing that virtue.
This then keeps people away from certain mysteries associated with virtues. People instinctively do not want to know much about these mysteries, especially if they are contemporary idealists who derive their ideals from the pleasure described above. All kinds of ideals are represented in society today. People draw up programs and so on, establish social principles that they strive for this or that. All these things that people strive for may be quite beautiful. But abstract beauty is not enough. People must learn to think realistically. And here, with reference to virtue, one can also draw attention to what is realistic. Perfection, goodwill, beautiful virtues, justice: all these things are beautiful for external human coexistence. But when someone says: We strive programmatically for this or that perfection, this or that direction of benevolence, we try to realize this or that justice—they usually say this with the idea that this is something absolute and that it can now be realized as something absolute. Well, why shouldn't that be beautiful, says the person of today, to become more and more perfect! And what could be more ideal than to make it your program to become more and more perfect! But that is not in accordance with the law of reality. It is right and good to become more and more perfect, or at least to want to become so, but if one strives concretely toward a certain direction of perfection, after a while this striving for perfection turns around and becomes the reality of imperfection. After a while, the striving for perfection turns into weakness. Goodwill becomes prejudiced behavior after a while. And realize that no matter how right you think you are, over time it will become wrong. There is nothing absolute in this world. That is reality. Strive for something good—through the course of the world, it will become bad. Therefore, we must always strive anew, strive in ever new ways. That is what matters. In relation to such human striving, there is an oscillation, a swinging back and forth. And nothing is more harmful to humanity than belief in absolute ideals, because they contradict the real course of world development.
When one wants to explain something like this, not to prove it, but only to illustrate it, one likes to use certain concepts. In a certain sense, scientific concepts can also symbolically illustrate spiritual concepts. Imagine that we have a pendulum attached here (it is drawn). If this pendulum swings out so that it is pointing in one direction, and we then let it fall, it will come to rest in its equilibrium position. It follows this path.
Why does the pendulum follow this path? Because gravity acts on the pendulum — that's what they say. It falls down, but when it reaches the bottom, it doesn't stay there. By falling, it has acquired a certain momentum, and this causes it to swing in the opposite direction. Then it falls again. This means that while the pendulum is moving along this path, it absorbs so much energy from falling that its own energy causes it to swing to the other side, just as high as it was before. To clarify this or that retrospectively, one needs such a comparison. One can say: Some virtue—perfection, benevolence—follows this path quite correctly, but then swings to the other side. Perfection becomes weakness, benevolence becomes prejudiced affection, right becomes wrong in the course of development.
Humanity today does not like to entertain such ideas. Just think, if you wanted to explain to the honest, narrow-minded bourgeois of today, who founds his club on certain ideals, that With what you now set up as an ideal, if you incorporate it into the course of development, you will, after a relatively short time, achieve the opposite—yes, he would believe that one was not only an idealist, but a real devil. For how can the striving for perfection not always lead further and further toward perfection, and justice not always remain justice! Replacing one-sided, abstract concepts with concepts of reality is particularly difficult for the present human race. But the present human race must learn this, otherwise it will not progress. And so it must also become familiar with the fact that cultural development itself gradually makes it necessary to deal with the elemental spirits of birth and death. And with this, humanity must learn to recognize the insertion of a destructive element into human development.
In certain places, even people who refuse to become more familiar with spiritual science, which is the only means of finding the right position on these matters, instinctively arrive at these things. What does what I have just told you actually mean? These elemental spirits of birth and death are, of course, messengers of Ahriman. Out of the iron necessity of world evolution, the gods must make use of Ahriman's messengers to regulate birth and death. They do not allow the forces of these messengers to enter the physical plane for their deeds. But in the descending cultural evolution, from the fifth post-Atlantean period onwards, this must again enter into cultural evolution in order for catastrophe to occur. Human beings themselves must deal with these forces. Messengers of Ahriman are therefore necessary, absolutely necessary, in order to bring about the destruction that will be the next stage of cultural progress. This is a terrible truth, but it is so. And nothing helps against this truth except to become acquainted with it, to look clearly into it. We will speak more about this later. You will see what the right attitude toward these truths requires.
Instinctively, I say, some people come to the conclusion that something like this is necessary. For example, a personality who has written many good books in the present day—though none that seriously touch on the humanities—came to this conclusion instinctively. I am referring to Ricarda Huch. And what is remarkable is not the insight, but the instinct that prevails in this book, the latest book on “Luther's Faith.” If you read the first chapters of this book, you will find in it a strange cry—one might say—a cry for humanity to once again learn something that has been lost to humanity since Luther's time, when atavistic clairvoyance still existed in this field. Ricarda Huch says that what is actually most necessary for humanity today is to get to know the devil. She does not consider it so necessary to get to know God; she considers it much more necessary for humanity today to get to know the devil.
Of course, Ricarda Huch does not know why this is necessary. But she instinctively feels that it is necessary. Hence the urgent cry for knowledge of the devil in the first chapters of this book, which is very symptomatic and significant for the present. She thinks to herself: People will get to know God again if they only know that the devil is around them. - Of course, people who don't want to approach spiritual science will always find excuses for such things. Ricarda Huch feels that the devil should be recognized as a real being by people, but she immediately excuses this by saying that this is obviously not the case, that one should not imagine him running around in the streets with a tail and horns. - Well, he is running around! “The little people never notice the devil, even when he has them by the collar.” The abstract thinker of the present day immediately needs an excuse, even if he instinctively recognizes what is urgently needed. But a good, correct instinct for the present lies behind this cry for the devil. People should not simply grow blindly, sleepily into what is an iron necessity for the near future: to have to deal with the devil's emissaries in the laboratory, in the workshop, in the bank, everywhere. People must do this for the sake of cultural progress; but they must know the devil, they must know that at the moment when they unlock, say, the steel chambers, the power of the devil lies in the power of the key. Ricarda Huch instinctively senses this. People must know this, for only knowledge leads in the right way into the future. And it is already of tremendous importance that there are people who instinctively emphasize the necessity that people do not sleepwalk past the devil who is becoming ever more powerful.
Perhaps this is also characteristic—I say this only in parentheses: in paradise, it was also a woman who instinctively introduced the functions of the devil into this paradise. I believe that in external culture, it is not particularly prestigious for men to reject this superstition and leave it to women for the time being. It is perhaps characteristic that Ricarda Huch, as a woman, calls for the devil, just as Eve once let the devil into paradise. But I only mention this in passing.
But this devil is already the being that will and must be the bearer of the culture of the future. It is a harsh but important truth. This truth is closely connected with the fact that destructive forces must mix into this cultural process into the future. In particular—and I will talk about this tomorrow—if things are not guided wisely, destructive forces must mix into all education, especially the education of children. But destructive forces will also increasingly interfere with the entire social coexistence of human beings because of general culture, because of customs, because of human emotions, forces which will above all increasingly destroy the relationships between human beings themselves.
Human beings should strive to realize Christ's words: “Where two are united in my name, I am in their midst.” But technical and commercial culture does not make this true; rather, it makes the opposite true: Where two or more quarrel and fight in my name, there I am in their midst. And this will increasingly enter into social life. This leads to the difficulty of introducing truths that unite humanity today.
And let us now, at least provisionally, make it clear to ourselves — we will continue talking about these things tomorrow and the day after tomorrow — what the state of mind of human beings is in relation to the acceptance of truths in general. People today do not like to accept truths because they do not believe that truths can be something that enters directly from the spiritual world and comes to human beings. People today believe that truth can only be something that grows absolutely on their own soil. If you are in the 1920s, you have your point of view, you don't need to be convinced of the truth, you don't need the truth to be revealed to you, you have your point of view. And someone may come along who has struggled with all his zeal for the truth — the twenty-four-year-old Dachs, who has just graduated from university and perhaps even attended lectures on philosophy, who has his point of view, which he then discusses with the other who has struggled with all his zeal for the truth. Today, everyone has their own point of view, and everyone believes that even on unprepared ground, the absolute, only certain truth can grow. People are not inclined to accept truths, but appoint themselves as the owners of truth. That is the characteristic feature of the present age.
Ricarda Huch also said something very beautiful about this. She pointed out how our current worldview—or whatever you want to call it—which is steeped in chauvinism, was preceded among enlightened Europeans by Nietzscheanism, which was far above all fatherlands and all chauvinism. People have become followers of Nietzsche. How many have become followers of Nietzsche! Nietzsche established the ideal of the “blond beast.” People understood little of this. But Ricarda Huch says: Everyone who does not even have the potential to become a respectable guinea pig has imagined himself to be the “blond beast” in Nietzsche's sense. —- Yes, that is precisely the viewpoint of the philistine bourgeoisie today. People really do not have the potential to be respectable guinea pigs, but if an ideal, no matter how lofty, is set up somewhere, then that is what they become! You are it simply because you think you are, without doing anything to achieve it, because you don't strive to develop yourself, because you can't bear to become something first, because you just want to be something. But that splits people into atoms of humanity. Everyone has their own point of view. No one can understand anyone else anymore.
There you see—precisely in this mood, where no one can understand anyone else anymore—the destructive forces at work in the human social order itself. This drives people apart. It was the devil who tempted people to become “blond beasts” themselves as followers of Nietzsche. They did not become so. But even if people have not become “blond beasts” in Nietzsche's sense, something has nevertheless come of these impulses of the 19th century that destroyed sociality in the 20th century. We will discuss this further tomorrow.